Issues, Strategies and Key Quotes

Top three issues:
War on Iraq: "U.N. in, U.S. out." As president, Kucinich says he will work to bring American troops home from Iraq and replace them with a United Nations force. "It is time for the United States to rejoin the world community in the interests of international security," he said.
NAFTA and WTO: Kucinich says he will stop the global race to the bottom by withdrawing from NAFTA and the WTO, replacing them with bilateral trade agreements that protect labor standards and the environment.
Health Care: Kucinich's plan is called Enhanced Medicare for All. The idea is to bring everyone into a comprehensive, universal public insurance system like Medicare, cutting out the waste and profiteering of corporate HMOs and private health insurers. "Our country has great wealth, yet we trail dozens of countries in our ability to provide health care to our citizens. It is time to fix this great injustice in our society," he said.

Official strategy statement: “To get people who agree with Kucinich’s political view to attend the caucuses." Rally support through grass-root campaigning, building an organization precinct by precinct. -- Kucinich Iowa Campaign Manager John Friedrich

Campaign's assessment of its own strength: “Kucinich offers the strongest alternative to Bush in being the most progressive candidate." -- Friedrich

" [Kucinich's] being human. He's the most human candidate and he's consistent, not changing as he goes along. He is who he is." -- Kucinich Iowa Press Secretary Terre Lundy

Quotes from Kucinich: Kucinich describes himself as “an FDR Democrat" whose goal is to "return the Democratic Party to its roots." He also says he is running "to guarantee health care through Medicare for all." -- Washington Post, 02/18/03

Kucinich said he has won all elections he has been in. “I’ll win this election, too, because I have the ability to go out there and get people excited in a campaign.”  -- Des Moines Register, 09/07/03

"It became clear to me that this wasn't only about the right to choose, that this was about a woman's right to equality in society,” Kucinich said about his decision to change his view from pro-life to pro-choice. -- Des Moines Register, 09/07/03

"As president of the United States ... I want to get the U.N. in and the U.S. out of Iraq, because we have to acknowledge that the United States made a grave mistake in the first place in going in there. ... If it was a mistake to go in, it is a mistake to stay in." -- Rock the Vote, 11/3/03

Critiques from others: "Kucinich is in the race for other reasons than winning the Democratic presidential election. ... Kucinich will never win the Democratic presidential nomination." -- Jodi Wilgoren, New York Times Midwest bureau chief, in an address to journalism students at the University of Iowa, 10/15/03

"Kucinich is not covered as widely as he should be by the mainstream media." -- Kucinich's Iowa campaign manager, John Friedrich

Our own assessment of Kucinich's vulnerability: Kucinich is the most progressive candidate in the race and is ultra liberal compared with the others. He is divorced; other candidates involve their families in their campaign, but Kucinich does not. He struggled with name recognition early on and continues to lag some other candidates in fund-raising. Kucinich has received less media attention than several other campaigns, notably the Dean campaign.